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Type: Article
Published: 2015-04-09
Page range: 261–273
Abstract views: 31
PDF downloaded: 4

A new species, new immature stages, and new synonymy in Australian Dasybasis flies (Diptera: Tabanidae: Diachlorini)

Australian National Insect Collection, National Research Collections Australia, CSIRO, GPO Box 1700, Canberra, 2601, Australia
Australian National Insect Collection, National Research Collections Australia, CSIRO, GPO Box 1700, Canberra, 2601, Australia
Tabanomorpha Tabaninae Tabanidae biology life histories beach flies beach ecology

Abstract

Australian beach sand is a productive habitat for lower brachyceran fly larvae but often overlooked by collectors. We collected two species of tabanid larvae from coastal beach sand in southern New South Wales in August 2013. Both species belong to the Dasybasis macrophthalma species-group of Mackerras (1959), one a new species, and the other D. exulans (Erichson, 1842). We describe both new immature stages and the new species adult as Dasybasis rieki sp. nov. (Diptera: Tabanidae: Diachlorini). Trojan (1994b) elevated the D. macrophthalma species group to the genus Sznablius. We review the evidence for the generic status of Sznablius, and synonymize it with Dasybasis.